What is a specific phobia?

A specific phobia is an intense, seemingly irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Although adults with phobias may realize that these fears are irrational, even thinking about facing the feared object or situation can bring on severe anxiety symptoms. Quite understandably, steps are taken to avoid being in the presence of the feared stimuli. There are many different kinds of specific phobias, but the most common ones are broken down into 5 main categories: animals (e.g., dogs, snakes, spiders), natural environments (e.g., heights, water, darkness, germs), situations, (e.g. flying, dentists, small spaces), body based (e.g., vomit, blood, injections), sexual (e.g., nudity, sexual acts) and ‘others’ (e.g., certain foods, objects, clowns).

Do I have a specific phobia?

Symptoms of a specific phobia

If you have a specific phobia, you may experience some of the below when thinking about or coming into contact with your feared object or situation:

• A feeling of imminent danger or doom
• An intense need to escape
• Heart palpitations
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Shortness of breath or a smothering feeling
• A feeling of choking
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or abdominal discomfort
• Feeling faint, dizzy or lightheaded
• A sense of things being unreal, depersonalization
• A fear of losing control or “going crazy”
• A fear of dying
• Tingling sensation
• Chills or heat flush

You will also take steps to avoid encountering the thing you fear, the severity of this will depend on the severity of your phobia.

Online therapy and treatment for specific phobias

There are many approaches that have been found to be helpful in helping people to manage and overcome specific phobias, particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP), CBT, ACT. and EMDR. 

At Counselling Psychology Online, many of our online therapists are trained in these approaches and have several years’ experience in helping people overcome specific phobias. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to arrange an initial assessment session.

You may also wish to look at our resources page for further ideas of getting help to managing anxiety around your phobia.

FAQs

Please see answers to some of our most frequently asked questions about Phobias. Please email [email protected] or telephone 07584 328192 for any other questions.